The NBA is in the early stages of their restart plan that will see all games played at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, beginning on July 30.
Before games can resume, however, teams will need a sufficient amount of time to prepare and regain their basketball shape to avoid serious injuries happening during game play. Teams have been allowed to have individual players work out in team facilities for quite some time now, but with the coronavirus (COVID-19) testing protocol for players beginning on Tuesday, that rule will also be changed.
As teams are now begin serious preparations in advance of traveling to Orlando, they’ll be allowed to have more coaches players in the facility at a time, but not hold full team practices until everyone is in the bubble.
Beginning on Tuesday, four players will be allowed at a time, which will expand to eight players on July 1, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Teams can have four players June 23-30 at facility; 8 players in facility July 1-9. From there, teams will leave for Orlando and full training camps a https://t.co/LKRixEcfOy
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2020
Now that testing for the virus has began, the NBA feels that they can loosen up on their strict facility protocols, even if it means only having four players at a time. It appears that coaching and training staff will still have the same rules about gloves, masks, and other protective equipment.
For a team like the Los Angeles Lakers, it may be best to have four players at a time who play with each other on a regular basis. This way they can start to regain a feel for one another on the court.
With four players, teams can begin to do some light two-on-two scrimmages. This is important, as it will allow players to play real basketball, rather than simply working out. Staying in shape is one thing, and it’s something that everyone in the NBA has done.
Staying in basketball shape is a completely different and much more difficult task.
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